


Forget Chivalry (and just date me)

by deliriumbubbles



Series: Kind Stranger [2]
Category: Glee
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-21
Updated: 2016-08-21
Packaged: 2018-08-10 04:42:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7830745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deliriumbubbles/pseuds/deliriumbubbles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Summary: In his first semester as NYADA’s first legally blind student, Kurt needs some help in the school bookstore because NYADA is about as accessible as Mount Everest.<br/>Author’s Note: Down with tiny text.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Forget Chivalry (and just date me)

“Take this,” Derek ordered, dropping a large box of books into Adam’s arms.

“Oof.” Adam spread his legs, got a better grip on the books, and peered past the box. “What class is this for?”

“Drama. They’re out. You know how it is a few weeks in. Everyone’s sorted out their schedule and now they’re finally buying their books, the slackers,” Derek grumbled.

Adam shrugged a shoulder and headed out to the floor. Of all the campus jobs, bookstore lackey wasn’t the worst. And Adam knew this because his work-study jobs had him floating from place to place. The on campus grill was much more disgusting. Though, the students could be just as cranky.

“What am I supposed to do? We have a test tomorrow, and I haven’t read the play!”

“Well, whose fault is it?!”

“Can you open another register? Dr. Koehler won’t let us take the exam without a Blue book, and it starts in five minutes!”

Panic. That’s what caused it. Panic born of procrastination and delayed student aid disbursements. Some of them didn’t buy their books during the course “shopping” period (why buy when you might drop the course, or your preferred course might open up?), but some of them legitimately had to wait to pick up supplemental materials. Granted that at an exclusive school for the arts, there were many students who had their parents to pay for everything, but clearly, not all student had that kind of security.

Adam set the heavy box of books on the floor and started to fill up the shelf. It was funny that for such a small student body, the bookstore couldn’t seem to manage to get the books all out there at once. Apparently they’d run out of level one dramaturgy books during the first week.

The sound of a familiar voice caught Adam’s ears, and he looked up to see one of his new favorite people. Finely coifed chestnut hair with blond highlights. Tight jeans. Thick, rectangular glasses. A retractable cane by his side.

Kurt Hummel. Talk of the campus for more reason that one. The way he’d killed “Being Alive” at the Winter Showcase had blown the students away, and made many of them incredibly nervous. Additionally, Adam had learned that by having Kurt audition in front of alumni, Tibideaux had been able to gain the support to convince the school board that he was a good investment.

Nothing like the guilt of rich alums! Or so Kurt had said with a laugh.

Right now, he was asking Chad where something was located. Chad looked up once and pointed in one quick, sweeping motion, and then turned to hurry to the register.

“Um… I, er…” Kurt looked around. Clearly, he hadn’t caught the half-assed gesture, other than to realize that Chad had pointed at something and abandoned him.

“Geez.” Adam pushed the box closer to the shelf to keep people from tripping on it and headed for Kurt.  

His eyes widened as he saw Kurt starting to move. Kurt was careful. Kurt was always careful. But his peripheral vision wasn’t good, and it only took a moment for a pair of ballerinas to obliviously swipe past him, knock him off balance, and cause him to drop his cane.

Thankfully, however, Kurt hadn’t fallen. He was just a little stranded and very annoyed.

Adam got there before Kurt could start feeling around for his cane. He picked it up and held it out.

“Hullo there! Sorry it’s so busy here today. I guess financial aid came through today,” Adam said. He paused. “It’s Adam.”

“I know who you are,” Kurt said with a laugh. He smiled up at Adam brightly. “And, yes, the money is in today, and I have materials I’ve had to put off buying. Are you shopping today, too?”

Adam looked down at his work shirt for a half-second. “No, actually. I do work-study hours here.”

“Oohh!” Kurt threw a hand up. “Then can you tell me if you guys have any of the textbooks on disk? It just a _lot_ easier for me if I can pop it into my laptop and let the software read it. Otherwise, I have to deal with the pen thing, and it scans, but it takes like, twice the time to get through my reading materials. The text is _so tiny_ in all these books.”

“Ohh, well. Um.” Adam pinched his lips to the side. “I don’t know that the major textbooks have a CD version sold separately… some have supplements… but why don’t we go over and see what we have available?”

“I’m giving you a good review to your supervisor,” Kurt quipped as he followed Adam.

It was only a few aisles away. Chad could’ve taken Kurt over there, easily. Adam scanned through the CDs and DVDs, but it was all software, recordings of performances, and music.

“No luck?” Kurt surmised before Adam could say anything.

“No. But… you know, what we really ought to do is put in a request at the library. They have versions of the textbooks on reserve, and they could get the work-study students to scan the chapters on your syllabus.”

“Oh, that’s a great idea. I didn’t know… anything about the students working here. The tour I took with my family was a whirlwind. I haven’t even been to the library yet.”

“I doubt they have much of a Braille section there,” Adam said regretfully.

Kurt grimaced. “I, uh, don’t read Braille. I’ve only been half-blind for less than a year. I’m mostly relying on tech to help me out.”

“Ah. Well. That solves our NYADA Braille fail.”

Kurt let out a bright chime of a laugh. “I’ve, um, I listened to all the plays for my intro classes on audiobook already. It’s so weird. I used to be the one who read all kinds of things, all the time, and much faster than everyone else. I just know random things about France and JFK’s hairline because I used to read all the time, and now I can’t even read my sheet music without help.”

Adam pressed his lips together. He’d never considered what it would be like to _lose_ reading. Or at least, the means of reading that was most comfortable and comforting.

“What’s the most pressing need here? Do you have a list?”

“I have my syllabi.” Kurt reached into his bag and pulled out a folder.

Adam took it and looked through the required materials. “Well. Why don’t I help you gather a few things that will get you through for a while?”  
  


“Do you guys have the sheet music here?”

“No, but we have some of the collections. There’s a different store where most students get their regular sheet music.”

“Figures.”

Adam scanned down the list. He pulled it closer to be sure what edition the textbooks were. Even the syllabi didn’t seem to be even remotely readable, at those font sizes.

“I blew them up.”

“Hm?”

“On my computer,” Kurt said. “The NYADA Online website where all the teachers post their syllabi? I pulled them off and blew them up so I could look at them on my laptop. I just brought these so I could have something to point to when I looked for books.”

Adam nodded.

It took them less than fifteen minutes to gather the materials that would actually benefit Kurt in his classes, supplemental audio CDs that the whole class was required to listen to, one of the textbooks that was new and thus wouldn’t be in the library yet, and then Adam led Kurt to the register.

“Why don’t I hit the library with you after my shift and get those scans for you? Then you’ll be all set up for the semester,” Adam suggested.

“You don’t have to do that. I can do it myself.”

“Of course, I…” Adam felt himself grow red. He was a bit grateful that Kurt couldn’t see his fumbling. “Really, I’m angling for another reason to spend time with you.”

Kurt smiled and dipped his head slightly.

“Let me pretend to be chivalrous, and then we can get some coffee? Or do you have somewhere you have to go this evening?”

Kurt shook his head. “I’ll just be in my dorm. I actually haven’t left the campus area since my dad and stepbrother deposited me and my stuff in the dorm. Rachel and I were supposed to explore the city, but…” Kurt shook his head. “She’s been wrapped up in her boyfriend, and they moved off-campus together, so…”

Adam bobbed his head. “That sounds like an opening for me and the Apples to show you around the area.”

“You think I need a whole entourage?”

“It is a big city. It couldn’t hurt. When Katy first came to NYADA, she was robbed the first night she walked off of campus.”

“That doesn’t make me feel better!” Kurt laughed.

Adam looked up to see Derek by the store room entrance. “We’ll ease you into it.”  
  


“I came to New York once, before. During Nationals for our show choir. I woke Rachel up and we snuck away from the group and just… Did the whole thing. Bagels, _Breakfast at Tiffany’s_ , broke into the Gershwin…”

“I dunno that we’ll provide you with the level of _crime_ you’re looking for, but we can probably find some adventure,” Adam teased.

“I would still love to go to a Broadway show. Even if I couldn’t appreciate the staging, just to be there, and experience the energy, the sound, the resonance…” Kurt shook his head.

“That’s it then. We’ll make a list. First for scanning. Then for exploring the city.” Adam hesitated, then touched Kurt’s shoulder. His heart sped up at the contact, and he felt… lucky. “Thank you for letting me be the one to show you around.”

“You’re thanking me? You’re the one who kept me from being trampled by ballerinas.”

“I didn’t think you could see them.”

“I know what their _voices_ sound like. I might trip them in dance class. Oops! Didn’t _see_ you!”

Adam clapped his hands together and bowed over as he laughed.

“So, I guess, meet me at the library? When do you get off?” Kurt asked.

“Do you know where it is?”

“Vaguely. I have a campus map, and I’ll ask people until they can give me legitimate directions and not just point. You’d think that divas at an art school would be more verbally expressive.”

Adam watched Kurt, feeling warmth spreading through his chest. “Right then. Um, I’m off in…” He looked at his watch. “About two hours. At six. So be there around 6:30? Sometimes we close up late or I have to clean up.”

“Sounds good.”

“I’ve got to get back to stocking. It's been good seeing you.”

“It’s been good not seeing you.” Kurt smirked. “And I really appreciate all the help. My dad didn’t even go to college. I don’t know the first thing about higher education or how campuses work.”

“It’s one of my favorite parts of being in the Apples, to be honest. I love being able to pass on information that we had no way of knowing when we all got here.”

“I get that. I’ll probably feel the same way, in four years.” Kurt nodded. He reached out for Adam’s hand, found it, and gave it a squeeze. “Stock well. I’ll be at the library.”

“Excellent.” Adam beamed. He wanted to linger, to talk to Kurt until he was rung up, and make sure he got out of this crazy place okay…

But that wasn’t really help that Kurt needed. He was resourceful all on his own, and unlike most freshman here, knew when to ask for what he needed. As Adam stocked the shelves, he watched Kurt get through the line, chat with the girl on the register, and head out the door on his own.

No, Kurt didn’t need Adam to usher him around at all. He was just grateful for the insider info. But he’d said yes, to the library, and coffee, and other things, all the same.

That realization left Adam whistling and smiling through the rest of his shift.


End file.
